1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure and method of operations of dedicated telecommunications patching systems where various telecommunications lines are selectively interconnected using patch cords. More particularly, the present invention relates to telecommunication patching systems that embody patch cord tracing capabilities that help a technician locate the opposite ends of a specific patch cord within the system. The present invention also relates to systems that enable a technician to transmit and receive data with a telecommunications system from a remote location.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many businesses have dedicated telecommunication systems that enable computers, telephones, facsimile machines and the like to communicate with each other, through a private network, and with remote locations via a telecommunications service provider. In most buildings, the dedicated telecommunications system is hard wired using telecommunication cables that contain conductive wire. In such hard wired systems, dedicated wires are coupled to individual service ports throughout the building. The wires from the dedicated service ports extend through the walls of the building to a telecommunications closet or closets. The telecommunications lines from the interface hub of a main frame computer and the telecommunication lines from external telecommunication service providers are also terminated within the telecommunications closets.
A patching system is used to interconnect the various telecommunication lines within the telecommunications closet. In a telecommunications patching system, all of the telecommunication lines are terminated within the telecommunications closet in an organized manner. The organized terminations of the various lines are provided via the structure of the telecommunications closet. Within the telecommunications closet is typically located a mounting frame. On the mounting frame is connected a plurality of racks. The telecommunications lines terminate on the racks, as is explained below.
Referring to FIG. 1, a typical prior art rack 10 is shown. The rack 10 retains a plurality of patch panels 12 that are mounted to the rack 10. On each of the patch panels 12 are located port assemblies 14. The port assemblies 14 each contain six RJ-45 telecommunication connector ports 16.
Each of the different telecommunication connector ports 16 is hard wired to one of the system's telecommunications lines. Accordingly, each telecommunications line is terminated on a patch panel 12 in an organized manner. In small patch systems, all telecommunications lines may terminate on the patch panels of the same rack. In larger patch systems, multiple racks are used, wherein different telecommunications lines terminate on different racks.
In the shown embodiment of FIG. 1, the interconnections between the various telecommunications lines are made using patch cords 20. Both ends of each patch cord 20 are terminated with connectors 22, such as an RJ-45 telecommunication connector or a RJ-11 telecommunications connector. One end of the patch cord 20 is connected to the connector port 16 of a first telecommunications line and the opposite end of the cord is connected to the connector port 16 of a second telecommunications line. By selectively connecting the various telecommunication lines with the patch cords 20, any combination of telecommunications lines can be interconnected.
In many businesses, employees are assigned their own computer network access number exchange so that the employee can interface with the companies main frame computer or computer network. When an employee changes office locations, it is not desirable to provide that employee with newly adressed telecommunications ports. Rather, to preserve consistency in communications, it is preferred that the exchanges of the telecommunication connection ports in the employee's old office be transferred to the telecommunications ports in the employee's new office. To accomplish this task, the patch cords in the telecommunication closet are rearranged so that the employee's old exchanges are now received in his/her new office.
As employees, move, change positions, add lines and subtract lines, the patch cords in a typical telecommunications closet are rearranged quite often. The interconnections of the various patch cords in a telecommunications closet are often logged in either paper or computer based log. However, technicians often neglect to update the log each and every time a change is made. Inevitably, the log is less than 100% accurate and a technician has no way of reading where each of the patch cords begins and ends. Accordingly, each time a technician needs to change a patch cord, that technician manually traces that patch cord between different connector ports. To preform a manual trace, the technician locates one end of a patch cord. The technician then manually follows the patch cord until he/she finds the opposite end of that patch cord. Once the two ends of the patch cord are located, the patch cord can be positively identified.
It takes a significant amount of time for a technician to manually trace a particular patch cord. Furthermore, manual tracing is not completely accurate and technicians often accidently go from one patch cord to another during a manual trace. Such errors result in misconnected telecommunication lines which must be later identified and corrected.
The key to a tracing system is the ability to identify the different connection ports in the telecommunication closet that are joined by opposite ends of the same patch cord. Accordingly, in order to create an effective tracing system, some sort of indicator must be positioned near each of the connection ports that are present in the telecommunications closet. There are many thousands of telecommunication patch systems in place throughout the world. Replacing these existing patch systems with new systems is not cost effective or practical. Accordingly, trace indicators must be retroactively attachable to existing patch panels in the small amount of area that is available on patch panels. Yet the indicators that are provided must not obstruct or limit access to the connector ports of which they identify.
A need therefore exists for a module that can be used in a patch cord tracing system that can be retroactively connected to existing patch panels so that the modules provide tracing indicators to the various connector ports on the patching panels. A need also exists for such a module that fits within the space limitations of existing patching panels yet does not obstruct access to the connector ports on those patch panels.